Students’ memories on the meeting in Greece

Students’ memories of the meeting in Greece in the framework of Erasmus+ project called „Energy Storage and Alternative Energy” 2017-2019

“It was my 4th meeting abroad, and it can be easily considered as a one of the best ones. Even despite the weather that welcomed us in Greece. The week in Greece was extremely productive. I learnt a lot of things about alternative energy, but also about storing energy, and last but not least about how much energy depends on weather conditions. Seeing the life of the island from inside was extremely exciting and understanding the habits prevailing on Kos was really developing. Citizens of Kos were incredibly kind to us. Especially my host family. They made me feel like one of them for the whole week, I felt like I had known them for my whole life, even though it was just a week. The meeting in Greece was also o great summary of the whole project. The information in the presentations changed my point of view and mindset. But also, I had an opportunity to remember about what I had learnt during the previous meetings e.g. about foldable solar panels, which were mentioned in Denmark, Poland and then in Greece. But as I have mentioned before, the most important for me were the people. I have made new friends and strengthened the existing friendships. I strongly regret that it is my last project. Thank you all.” Jakub Kosiorek

“During the visit in Greece I learnt a lot about renewable energy and Greek culture. In my opinion Greeks are as hospitable as Poles. Another thing is that I learnt that energy storage is very important and connected to renewable energy and we can’t at least for the time being build efficient storage facilities to store generated energy for example in wind turbines or solar cells to consume it when there is no wind or sun. We must invent something new to accumulate a very big amount of energy. That’s what this project is for. I want to say thank you again to Dimitrios Trigkas and his family, who made me feel at home during the visit. Erasmus + project is definitely something that everyone should take part in, because of cultural exchange between students, lerning about problems of today’s world and it’s a great opportunity to practise English by using it on a daily basis.” Dominik Lesniak

“This project has taught me a lot of things about energy storage and alternative energy. Thanks to this opportunity I could learn more about Greek culture, broaden knowledge about energy and improve my language skills. I would like to thank Sevi and her family for the all the effort they put to make me feel like at home during this visit and bring me closer to Greek culture.” Anna Walczuk

“I really enjoyed my time in Kos. My favourite part of this week were the excursions. The views were stunning. I have to say I’d never seen such beautiful beaches and mountains in my whole life. Moreover, I hadn’t expected that the villages there really look like in movies, for example Zia, which I found extremely charming. In addition, food made a huge impression on me. The best dishes I had an opportunity to try were gyros, souvlaki, baked feta with tomatoes and pepper and fried cheese. And, of course, tzatziki which I fell in love with! What surprised me in Greece was the fact there were so many motorbikes. It’s not so common in Poland, but I’ve got to know that it’s typical for Greece. Moreover, I didn’t know that there were so many cats in Greece. They were on almost every corner! Speaking about my language abilities, I honestly can say that I find myself better at English after this week. Probably it was some kind of test of abilities for me because except English lessons I’d never had such an opportunity to talk in this language longer than a couple of minutes. It was the only language I could use to communicate with others. Now it’s easier for me to communicate because I don’t have to think so much about what I want to say and things come almost automatically. But the point of Erasmus+ project was to get to know more about models of alternative energy storage. I think I’m more aware of it now and know more about the future of energy. We got to know what should be done to improve generating energy as well. I’d also really like to thank my host family for hosting me. You were so kind and had a lot of patience to me which I truly appreciate. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get to know Greek culture. I’m really glad that YOU hosted me and wish you all the best.” Paulina Wyrzykiewicz

“The whole stay on Kos island was a great experience for me and I consider it very positive. Even though the weather wasn’t so good, I think it was good enough for a trip like this. All the activities were planned very well. There were a few changes in the schedule, but it wasn’t a big problem for me. Thanks to this students’ exchange I was able to get to know part of Greek culture as well as differences and similarities between Poland and Greece. I got to know a few interesting facts, for example Greek people eat very sweet breakfast or they eat their dinner very late. I really like Greek landscapes. During the exchange I was able to see what impact the life on the island has on the society. I really liked traditional Greek food that I could taste tzatziki or souvlaki. Thanks to the exchange program I got to know how to store energy and how to produce it in an environmentally friendly way. I would like to thank a lot all the organizers of this trip, in particular the Greek teachers for preparing the project schedule, which I liked very much. But the biggest thanks I owe to the family I lived with during this week. Thanks for showing me what life in Greece looks like and for helping to repair my phone, which broke down during the trip. Ευχαριστώvery much for everything!” Pawel Szulczyk

“I really enjoyed my time in Kos. Greece is a beautiful country with breathtaking views. In addition, there are also delicious dishes, which I had a chance to try, for example tzatziki or baked feta. I tried souvlaki too and I loved it the most. What really surprised me was that people could walk across the street wherever they wanted. What’s more, a huge number of small motorcycles and scooters. Moreover, almost nobody wears a helmet while riding a motorcycle. The family I lived with was very nice and caring. I felt like at home. Marietta’s parents (my host) could speak English, so it was easy to communicate with them. I would like to thank Diakonikoli`s family for hosting me, it was a great time at your place! The people involved in this project were kind and really friendly. After workshops we toured the city, or we met the whole Erasmus attendees in the evening. By participating in this project, I learned a lot about alternative energy sources and how important it is to invent an effective and unobstructed environmental way to store energy. A good example of what will happen unless we do something is the picture of the “disappearing” beach. I believe that I am much more aware of that problem now. Speaking about my language abilities, before the project I had never spoken English to foreign people for more than 5 minutes and I was afraid about my level of English. But it was the only way to communicate with others, so I was forced to do it. My participation in this project can be called a test as well as an English lesson for me. Now, after the project I think that I will never be afraid to speak in this language. I hope that I will have the opportunity to see the people who I met there, because It was a really amazing experience meeting them.” Mateusz Jakubiak